Dream's Mistake
by choir-freak
Summary: Derek starts having dreams about Casey in more than a brotherly manner. I promise the rating will not get higher than T. Derek POV. It’s Dendra at first, but quickly turns into Dasey.
1. Mistake 1

**Dream's Mistake**

Disclaimer: I don't own LWD. Stop me if you've heard this one before…

**Summary:** Derek starts having dreams about Casey in more than a brotherly manner. I promise the rating will not get higher than T. Derek POV. It's Dendra at first, but quickly turns into Dasey.

**Mistake 1:**

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

That's as far as I got before getting completely lost. Our English teacher assigned us Pride and Prejudice. It is a truth universally acknowledged that it is the most boring and pointless book ever. We were given the whole hour to read the first two chapters, which we were told would be easy. All I'm getting so far is there's a Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, someone named Bingley, and someone is rich.

I glanced around the room. There were a few people actually reading it, and then most—like me—were just staring at the first page. John Tyler was sleeping on _his_ book. The room was way too quiet. It was one of those silenced when not even the air conditioner makes any noise and you want to scream just to make sure you haven't gone deaf.

When the bell finally rang I ran out so quick you would have thought I was on fire. I 'accidentally' left the book on my desk. I can't read it over spring break if I don't have the book with me.

I heard someone call my name through the throng of people. It sounded like a teacher so I didn't even slow down. It was time to get out of school for a week and no one was going to keep me longer than necessary. I was meeting Kendra by her car and that was my destination.

Kendra was thankfully there when I got to her car. I opened the door and slid inside, watching my feet as I stepped on some fast food trash on the floor.

"Sorry about that," she said, grabbing some and throwing it in back, "I let my cousin take my car last night and—" but I cut her off with a kiss.

"Have you seen my room?" I asked and gave her one of my smirks. She smiled brightly at me and turned on the car.

"So I was thinking we could stop at Theresa's house really fast. She left her purse in my car and I have to return it to her."

She also wanted to chat with her friend. Last time I said we could we stayed for half an hour. I was bored out of my mind as Kendra gossiped. When they started saying something about Casey I decided I just wanted to get out of there.

"I'd rather not," I said, "Why don't you just stop there after you drop me off?"

"Because, Derry," she said in her sweet girlfriend voice. "I would really like to show you off to Theresa."

She has a good point there.

"No."

To this, she put on the sweetest face she could and scooted closer to me. "Please," she whispered. A shiver ran down my back as her breath tickled my ear and she kissed me on my sensitive spot. I let my eyes fall close. "Alright," I said after a few moments. I felt her smirk and she pulled back.

(((((O)))))

When I finally walked into the house almost an hour later I was met with the usual noise. Television, Marti yelling about how she's rather watch cartoons than soccer, Nora trying to calm Marti down, Edwin making his usual observations, and Dad asking for the whereabouts of something or other. And as usual, I made my way into the kitchen for a snack.

The first thing I noticed was Casey standing at the island listening to music and swaying her hips a little as she mixed something in a bowl. When she saw me she immediately stopped and, just to embarrass her, I laughed a little, making her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink.

"Shut up," she told me, opening a bag of chocolate chips and starting to measure out how much to put in the cookie dough. I snatched the bag out of her hands and poured its entire contents into the bowl. I knew it would piss her off. She never put that many chocolate chips in the cookies. She thought that was too many, but I disagreed. "_Der-rek_!"

"You know you've always wanted to do that."

"That's _way_ too much," she said, looking into the bowl at the giant pile of chocolate chips.

"I guess I could just eat it," I offered reaching for the bowl. She smacked my hand and pushed me. "Don't touch it," she said, pushing me back, "Walk away." Of course I didn't. I grabbed her wrists in one hand, forcing her to take two steps out of the way and reached over to the bowl with my free hand, scooping some out on my finger. Casey quickly made protests and let me know how disgusting it was while fighting me, trying to get away. One hand slipped free and she shoved me as hard as she could. I took two steps back to keep my balance.

"Alright," I said, laughing, "I'm going." She looked like steam could be coming out of her ears as she looked at the giant dip in the cookie dough I made.

Once in my room, I plopped down on my bed and closed my eyes for some sleep. The previous night I had stayed up late on the computer. What can I say, I'm an internet addict.

So within minutes I was asleep…

_I had just gotten home from hockey practice. I threw my stuff down by door. The house was completely silent: The first sign that nobody else was home. I made my way upstairs, but instead of going to my room, I headed to Casey's and knocked. She answered and did _not_ look too happy to see me. "What do you want, Derek?" she snapped, leaning against the doorframe. I didn't answer at first. I just scanned her body with my eyes, taking in her slim frame and great shape before taking a step closer and kissing her. _

_She seemed surprised at first, but soon got into it. I kissed her fervently, then serenely; short kisses, then long kisses. It seemed to frustrate her that I couldn't make up my mind, which made me smirk into her lips. _

_I pushed her over to her bed, making her fall onto it. I tried to make sure not to squish her by holding myself up on my arms, but she just pulled me closer by the collar of my shirt. My hands slid down her waist, feeling her every curve. Casey pulled away, breathing hard, so I moved down to kiss her neck._

"_Derek," she moaned and I tried to get closer to her by pushing her deeper into the bed._

"_Derek." She was driving me crazy. _

"_Derek." She started playing with the zipper on my jeans._

"Derek!"

I sat up in bed suddenly from the loud banging coming from my door. It took me a few seconds to process what had just happened. But when it did, shock went through me and my eyes widened. "Oh, no."


	2. Mistake 2

**Mistake 2:**

"Oh, no."

"Derek, open the door!" Casey shouted from the hall. I looked over at it, wide eyed for a few moments before jumping off the bed to unlock the door.

"What?" I snapped, avoiding looking at her in the eyes.. I felt torn between feeling annoyed at her for waking me up and relieved that I wasn't still dreaming about her.

Casey glared at me before holding something out for me to take. I looked down. Pride and Prejudice. "You left this in English," she said in a falsely sweet voice. I glared at her and snatched the book from her hand. "And dinner is ready." I watch her walk off before throwing the book on the floor and following her downstairs.

I was the last one to the table. I immediately started piling food onto my plate, trying to busy myself with anything so my mind didn't wander to the dream. I shoved a mouthful of rice into my mouth. It had obviously just been cooked. I could feel it burning my tongue and spit it back out onto the side of my plate.

"Ewe," Casey complained, "Derek others are trying to eat without losing their appetite."

My eyes snapped to hers and my stomach twisted as a picture of me pushing her onto her bed invaded my mind, making it almost impossible to come up with a decent comeback. I just stared at her for a moment before looking around the table and then back at Casey. "Well then maybe you should leave the table," I finally said coolly. Casey just stared at me like she was confused at first. I realized that maybe it was a little late to reply.

"Der-rek," Dad scolded from his seat at the other end of the table. I just shrugged at him before taking a drink of water to cool off my mouth, but I could feel the bumps already forming on my tongue from the burn.

I went through the rest of dinner staring down at my plate without talking much at all. Mostly, I just listened to Edwin and Lizzie talk about research or Marti tell her latest story about Daphne. Anything not to look or listen to Casey. By the time I finished my food I had the outer design of my plate memorized.

When my plate was clean I threw my napkin down and started standing up to go back to my room.

"You were the last one to the table," Dad said, "You do the dishes tonight."

_That's fine. I'll just—_

"And no forcing Edwin to do it."

_Damn_.

That's how I got stuck filling the sink up with warm, soapy water. Dad and Nora were sitting in the living room, so there was no way for me to go get Ed. I put my headphones over my ears and turned it up to drown out the sappy chick flick Nora had gotten Dad to watch.

With the music blaring in my ears I didn't hear Casey coming up behind me to put ice cubes down the back of my shirt. I involuntarily arched my back forward so the ice would easily fall out the back. I let the headphones slide off my ears to rest around my neck and turned to look at her as she laughed and took a cookie out of the cookie jar. I threw the wet dishcloth at her as she was about to take a bite. It landed perfectly so it got her face wet and knocked the cookie out her hand. It was my turn to laugh.

"Hey," she protested.

"Hey, what?"

Casey picked the washcloth up and hit me with it. I stopped laughing and took a step towards her to take it. Dream or no dream I was not going to let her think she won.

As I got closer she started trying to whack me repeatedly with the thing, which was a very stupid thing to do. I caught it easily in my hand and pulled it out of her grip. She cringed and turned sideways, expecting me to just hit her with it. Instead I stuffed it down the back of her shirt, making her soaked. She gasped and reached behind her to get it and threw it at me before running upstairs to her room. I chuckled at the large wet spot on her back and turned to the sink.

(((((o)))))

_I peeked out of the janitor's closet. Her next class was down that hall and she would have to walk right past my hiding spot to get there. The bell had rung several minutes ago, which meant she would be passing the closet soon. I was ready to pull her in the second I saw her._

_Finally, I saw hert. She wasn't walking fast, which made it easier. I reached out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her in with me. She stumbled a little and looked annoyed. Then she looked up and her eyes softened as she smiled at me._

_I didn't say anything as I pushed her against the wall. I kissed her hard and ran my tongue along her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She gave it almost immediately and our tongues battled. I put my hands on her hips under her shirt, running my hands up and down her sides so I could feel her soft skin. _

"_Derek we have class," she said, putting her hands on my chest to try and push me away. I grabbed her wrists and held them above her head. _

"_I don't care," I managed to say before attacking her lips again._

My eyes opened to the darkness of my room. My throat felt like sandpaper. I rolled over, but was met with a six year old face, staring at me from the edge of my bed. I sat up quickly, startled by the unsuspected visitor.

"_Marti_," I hissed, "What are you doing?"

"I had a bad dream," she said simply.

I nodded and reached over to pick her up. "Yeah, so did I Smarti."

I lied back on my pillows with Marti leaning against me. She was asleep almost instantly, leaving me to contemplate the second make-out session I dreamt about with Casey.


	3. Mistake 3

**Mistake 3:**

I woke up the next day to the vacuum turning on outside my door. I stood up and stomped out into the hall where Casey had thought it was necessary to clean with a large, loud machine.

I pulled the plug. "Do you mind?" I snapped, and without waiting for an answer, I returned to my room, slamming the door behind me.

When I plopped back in my warm bed I was all ready to go back to sleep, but the sun coming through my window was blinding me. I groggily crawled out of bed and pulled the curtains closed, making my room completely dark again. But when I crawled back into bed, the first thing I remembered was the Casey dreams. My eyes immediately snapped back open. Thankfully I hadn't dreamt again after falling back asleep, but the other two dreams were still fresh in my memory. Why is it that you can't remember the _good_ dreams?

I sat up and rubbed my face. The vacuum started up again outside my door. Rolling my eyes, I got up and opened the door, glaring at Casey as I walked past her and pulled the cord with my foot so it came out from the wall for the second time.

"De-_rek_," she snapped. I ignored her and made my way to the kitchen.

"Kendra called twice," Nora told me as I passed the table.

I grunted my answer, not really caring. My stomach was rumbling and needed to get food in it. I reached into the cupboard for my cocoa puffs, but the only thing in there was Honey Bunches of Oats and Marti's Dora the Explorer cereal.

I looked around the kitchen. The box was sitting by the sink. I snatched it up, like it would run away if I didn't grab it soon, only to find that it was empty. Not even the plastic bag was inside it.

"_Edwin_," I snapped when I saw him walk in from the laundry room.

"What?" he asked, looking at me with the tiniest bit of fear in his eyes.

I took a few menacing steps until I was towering over him. "What happened to my cereal?" I felt some satisfaction as his eyes widened slightly.

"Casey was eating it this morning," he told me. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"And you weren't?"

He shook his head vigorously. He was telling the truth. I gave him permission to go. Once he was out of my sight, I marched up the stairs, where Casey had moved from the hallway to her room.

She saw me and turned off the vacuum before I could do it for her. "What?" she snapped.

"You owe me a new box of cereal." I realized as I said it how ridiculous it sounded.

"Hardly," Casey argued. "There wasn't even enough left to fill the bowl. There were mostly crumbs left anyway."

"But they were _my_ crumbs!"

Casey's eyebrows rose. "You cannot be serious. You'll eat anything that's in the house anyway and Mom will pick you up some more cereal the next time she goes shopping, so just chill," she yelled at me, each word getting louder.

"You know what?" I stopped, unable to think of anything else to say to her.

"_What_, Derek?" She rested one hand on her hip and waited for me to finish. I simply glared at her and chucked the cereal box at her that I realized was still in my hand. The corner of it scraped her arm and it fell to the floor. I turned and walked back to the kitchen before she had a chance to yell at me for it.

I turned my nose up at the cereal choices and decided on pop-tarts. I opened the package and sat down to eat them cold, ignoring the phone when it started to ring, once, then twice, then three times. Finally Dad came into the kitchen.

"Don't move, Derek," he said, "I got it."

"Good to know." 

"Hello?" Dad said into the phone, "Oh, hi Kendra. Yeah, he's right here." He handed the phone out to me. I took the phone from him and left the room.

"Hey," I greeted when I knew Dad was out of earshot.

"Hey, Derry, you're finally up," came Kendra's sweet, girly voice from the other end.

"Yeah, I was up late last night. Marti had a nightmare." Not a lie.

"Oh, that's so sweet. You're such a great brother to your siblings."

I smirked as Casey walked past me. "Yeah, well I try."

"So," Kendra said, "I was thinking that we could go to the mall today."

"I have to baby-sit." _That_ was a lie. I hadn't even gotten up half an hour ago and I was already getting asked to do something I didn't want to. No way. Not on my spring break.

"Oh," Kendra sounded truly disappointed. I almost felt bad about lying to her. _Almost._

"Sorry," I said.

I was about to offer to take her out to dinner later on that week when Dad walked in reading papers in his left hand and nearly running into me. "I need the phone."

I rolled my eyes, pretending to be more frustrated than I actually was. "I have to go. Talk to you later."

"Alright," she replied, "Call me later."

"I will bye." I hung up and placed the phone in Dad's hand before heading back to the kitchen to finish my pop tarts. Casey was standing at the island, wiping down the counter. I ignored her presence and sat on one of the stools across from her.

"You know you really shouldn't lie to your girlfriend," Casey scolded.

I rolled my eyes. "God, can't you stay out of other people's business for five seconds?"

"I'm just saying—"

"Well don't." I took a bite of pop tart, letting the crumbs land on the newly wiped down countertop.

"Slob," Casey shot at me. She leaned across the counter to wipe up the mess, giving me a perfect view down the front of her shirt—

I looked away quickly when I realized what I was doing. "I'm gonna go upstairs." Casey didn't answer as I practically ran to my room and pressed the palms of my hands to my forehead as I leaned back against the door. Why did these things keep happening to me? Out of all the girls in the world, why _Casey_?

I'll admit that I thought she was hot when I first met her, but I quickly got over that when I got to know her. She's the exact opposite of me and I knew we wouldn't get along when I tried to have a conversation with her._ Tried_ being the key word there. We had nothing to talk about. I tried to bring up hockey and she said she didn't like sports. She brought up movies, but that topic was almost immediately shot down when I said I like action movies. So we pretty much just stood there, staring at our shoes

Suddenly I felt pressure on my back as someone tried to open my door. My weight against it prevented the door from even opening a few inches.

"It's called knocking," I said, raising my voice slightly to make sure they heard it through the wood.

Knock, pause. Knock, pause. Knock, stop.

Lizzie.

I turned and opened the door. "What's up?" I asked, sounding carefree.

"What were you doing?" she asked, looking past me into the room.

"What do you mean?"

"Your door wouldn't open. Were you blocking it or something?"

"Did you need something?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you could help me with soccer over spring break. We won't have any practices since most people are going to Disney Land or to some other vaca—"

"Yeah," I interrupted, "Sure, whatever, maybe. I'm not promising anything."

Lizzie smiled. "Thanks," she said and walked down the hall, grabbing the soccer ball from the games closet as she passed.

Lizzie was my favorite step-sister. She was quiet and never got in my way. And she distracted Edwin, so he wasn't always bugging me like he use to. The only bad thing was that she was somehow able to almost make me be a halfway decent older brother sometimes. I guess I just have a soft spot for my younger sisters.

"Derek!" Dad's voice came from the stairs, "Sam is on the phone!"

I grabbed the phone off my desk. "I got it!" I yelled and turned the cordless on. "Hey, Sam…"

((((o))))

**A/n** Sorry it took so long for the update. I was in the school play, which was taking up an insane amount of my time, and then I had finals, so of course teachers decided to give us extra homework and stuff like that. Then I just didn't know how to end this chapter. I hope it's alright, and thanks for being patient.


	4. Mistake 4

**A/n** You might notice that Casey seems a little OOC in Derek's dreams, and I wasn't sure if it was bothering people. I just thought I'd give you my reason for it. They're **Derek's** dreams, so I figured Casey would be a little different.

Alright, that's it. Here's the next chapter.

**Mistake 4**

Casey had been sitting on the couch watching _Newsies_ when Kendra and I walked into the house. Kendra immediately proclaimed that she _loves_ that movie and we had to sit and watch it. I should have argued more, and insisted that we didn't. I hate musicals.

So that's how I ended up sitting on the couch with Kendra on my right and Casey on my left. Casey's legs were crossed, her left over her right and she was tapping her foot to the music that was currently playing on the movie. Every time she lifted her foot up only to let it drop again, she brushed my leg and I felt her lift up my pant leg an inch or two every time. It was driving me insane. I'm not sure if it was because it tickled slightly or because the butterflies in my stomach went crazy every time she touched me.

"Will you **stop**?" I finally snapped. Casey looked at me like I had just hit her and scooted over about six inches.

"Sorry, I didn't know simple human contact bothered you so much," she commented.

"Only when that _simple human contact_ is from **you**." She scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue at me. "Oh that's mature," I said.

"I don't think _you _have the right to tell me what's mature and what's not, Derek," Casey insisted and turned her attention back to the TV.

Before I could retaliate Kendra butt in. "Could you guys save it for after the movie?" she asked in sweet voice, even though I could tell she was getting frustrated with our bickering, "I'm sure you'll still have something to say to each other in a couple hours."

I smiled and put my arm around her, turning my attention back to the movie.

My attention didn't stay on the movie for long. My eyes got heavy and I had to jerk my head up a few times. The music was so cheesy and the story line was pointless. Pretty soon I let my head fall back against the couch and I fell asleep.

_I tried to get the last of the ice cream out of the bowl by scraping the spoon against the side. The clinking seemed to echo through the silent kitchen. When I finally decided that I wasn't getting anymore out of the bowl, I set it in the sink and turned to go to my room._

_Before I even got past the island Casey walked into the kitchen. We both stopped. _

"_Hey," I greeted. _

"_Hey." She didn't say anything else as she walked over to me with a smirk on her lips. I took a step back and my back hit the edge of the sink. Casey pressed herself against me and intertwined her fingers with mine._

"_What are you doing?" I asked._

"_Shh," she whispered as he lips inched closer to mine. I leaned forward slightly and our lips met. She pulled me closer by the collar of my shirt and I placed my hands on her hips. I pushed her back against the opposite counter and slid my left hand just under her shirt and traced circles on her hip._

_She pulled away from me and giggled, placing her hand over mine. "That tickles," she told me. _

"_I'll make a mental note," I smirked and kissed her again, harder this time. I slid my hand down on the back of her leg just below her butt and lifted her up on the counter. _

"_Casey."_

I opened my eyes when I realized that I had said it out loud. Panic slowly rose in my chest and I felt like my stomach had dropped out of me. Looking at Kendra, I saw that she was too into the movie and hadn't heard me. It probably also helped that my head had been tilted to the left.

When I turned my head from side to side, trying to get the kink out of my neck, I saw that Casey looked slightly stiff. Had she heard me?

Oh, God.

"I'm gonna get a drink," I announced to no one, which was just as well, seeing as nobody seemed to care. I stood up from the couch and walked around Kendra's side, trying to avoid Casey, and made my way to kitchen.

I opened the cupboard next to the sink and pulled out a small glass. I didn't even realize what I was doing until I got the orange juice out of the fridge. Opening the juice carton, I took a swig and looked disgustingly at the cup. Using it would mean that I actually listened to Casey, which I didn't. I gripped the bottom of the cup and pushed it across the slippery counter. It went a little too far and slid off the edge. I heard it smash on the floor and I groaned, walking around the counter so I could see the mess. The base of the cup and a small part of the side was still intact, but the rest of it was shattered all over the tile.

I kneeled down to pick up the larger chunks when I heard a shriek and little running feet. I looked up just in time to see Marti running in, followed by Edwin and Lizzie.

"Marti, no!" I shouted, but it didn't help. She stepped on a piece of glass and cried out in pain. Lizzie quickly got the broom and started sweeping up the glass. I picked up Marti quickly and was thankful that I hadn't taken my shoes off yet as I heard glass crunching under my feet.

"Edwin," I snapped and put Marti on counter so I could look at her wound, "What were you doing?"

"She heard the crash and came running," he explained, "What were _you_ doing?"

"What happened?"

I looked up to see Casey walking in and Kendra following closely behind her.

"A cup broke and Marti stepped on a piece," I explained quickly.

"It _hurts_," Marti said. She sounded close to tears as she scrunched up her face in pain.

"Let me see," Casey said. She walked over and examined the bottom of Marti's foot. "I'm gonna need to get it out with a needle."

"_No_!" Marti exclaimed as Casey got the first-aid kit from above the fridge.

"Marti," Casey tried to reason, "We have to get it out before it gets infected."

"_No,"_ she repeated. Her eyes started to well up and she pulled her foot out of Casey reach.

"What if _I_ do it?" I asked. Marti sniffled and thought about it for a second before nodding her head. Casey handed me the needle and then jumped up on the counter with Marti to put an arm around her. "Talk to me Smarti," I told her. And she was off, talking about cats, Avatar, Daphne, and the picture she painted earlier. Every few seconds she would gasp in pain, but only start up again.

Finally, the little bloody piece of glass came out. I cleaned up the blood on her foot and put a pink band-aid on it.

"Done," I announced. I kissed Marti on the forehead and looked up at Casey. She smiled a little and I couldn't help but smile back.


	5. Mistake 5

**A/n** If you want an explanation of the long delay, go to my profile and click on the homepage link at the top.

But, if it helps, you guys ROCK! I was reading through the reviews and they really gave me motivation to write some more.

**Mistake 5**

"Here are your chores."

I stared, horrified as Nora handed me a piece of paper with a list of things to do on it.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, reading through the list, "Organize the bookcase? Seriously?"

She gave me a look. "Yes, _seriously_. I want you to alphabetize the books. Along with cleaning out the fridge, mowing the lawn, pulling the weeds and help Edwin and your dad paint the front porch."

"I have plans already," I said quickly.

Nora shook her head. "Cancel them. This is spring break—"

"Exactly, we should be _taking a break_."

"And we are going to do our spring cleaning," Nora finished as if I hadn't even said anything.

I groaned and looked down at the list again. It wasn't much, but doing everything on the list would take me _days_. If Casey had to do it, it would only take her about six hours, but since I'm the procrastinator of the century, it would take me much longer than that.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge door. It was jam packed with food. Most of it was probably older than God. Containers and glass bowls of leftovers filled up most of the shelf space. I stared at all the tin foil and opened one of the plastic containers, wincing at the foul stench that rose from the bowl. I wasn't going to start with the fridge.

I looked at the list. It was way too hot outside to do any of the outside chores. The only thing that was left was to organize the bookshelf. It would be better than to sort through all the nasty crap in the fridge.

So I walked back into the dining room, staring at the bookcase that was built into the wall next to the stairs. I never remembered owning that many books before. More than three quarters of them must have belonged to Nora and Casey, so why was _I_ the one alphabetizing them?

We may never know.

I started by pulling some books off the shelf and letting the drop to the floor. Then, I put my arm behind the whole row of books and pushed them off. The crashed down with several loud thuds as each individual book made a noise on the floor.

I grimaced at the mess at my feet and continued to pull books off the shelf until it was completely empty. Then I sat down on the floor, starting piles for each letter.

When I got to the F's I found an interesting book.

"_The Interpretation of Dreams _by Sigmund Freud," I read under my breath as I turned the book over in my hands. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, I stuffed the small book in my back pocket to look at later.

Later that night I had finally finished the bookcase, cleaned out the fridge and mowed the lawn. Exhausted, I flopped down on my mattress, thankful that I had such a soft and comfortable bed except for that bump right where my butt was.

Then I remember about the book.

I sat up and pulled the book out of my pocket. I checked to make sure my door was closed and opened it to the first page.

It started out saying that you dream of things in your subconscious. I thought of the last dream I had of Casey and how I was feeling in it. It was completely opposite of how I thought of the dreams when I wake up. In my sleep I think of her as hot and sexy. Usually those words wouldn't even be in my vocabulary for describing my stepsister. But then again, in my sleep, I don't think of her as a stepsister. More like a… lover.

Those thoughts made me shiver, and not in a good way.

"Derek."

My door burst open and I quickly threw the book onto the floor on the other side of my bed.

"Don't you knock?" I snapped at Casey.

She was staring at me. "What were you doing?" My mind started racing for a good excuse, but before I could answer, Casey shook her head. "Never mind, I don't even want know."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Is there something you want?"

She took a breath and smiled. "I have homework for my photography class and I need to use music for the assignment. I was wondering, since you're my favorite stepbrother—"

"Liar."

"If I could look through your CD's."

I stared at her for a second, wondering if she was joking. "Why would I let you do that?"

She smiled sweetly. "Because over these last few years you've grown fond of me?"

I snorted. "Try again."

Her shoulders slumped and she looked desperate. I felt that annoying feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the same annoying feeling I got when I found out Scott was cheating on Casey. It's called _compassion_ or whatever.

I looked away from her, which helped a little.

"Please, Derek? I'll do whatever you want—"

"Alright," I interrupted. I didn't want to think about what my version of 'whatever you want' is.

I looked at her again. She beamed and did that thing with her hands where she clasps them together and puts them under her chin. "Thank you."

I watched as she ran over to the CD's in my CD shelf by my computer and started looking through them, her fingers gently touching each case as she reads the titles. Every once in a while she would pull out a CD, read the back and then put it back where it came from. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and bent her knees so she could read see the cases closer to the bottom. She pulled out another CD, bit her lip, and then put it back. I wasn't paying any attention to what CD's she was now looking at. I was staring at her lips.

"You should alphabetize these," she stated, making me jump. I picked up the comic sitting on my nightstand and opened it to a random page, trying to look distracted.

"_Please, Derek?" she asked again. She grabbed my wrist to stop me from going upstairs to my room. "I'll do whatever you want."_

_I froze and turned to look at her._

"_Anything?" I asked with a smirk._

_Casey suddenly looked a little hesitant, but then she nodded. "Yeah," she said._

_I placed one hand on her hip and pulled her to me, kissing her in one swift move. Just as quick, she took two steps back and we stared at each other. She looked shocked, but it didn't take her much time to recover and kiss me again. _

_I laughed and pulled her closer. She broke contact just long enough to say, "Shut up," with a little giggle._

"_You're so cute," I whispered against her lips._

_I slowly guided Casey to the couch until we both fell onto it. I rested my arms on either side of her and bent my head lower to hers. I gave her a quick peck on the lips before trailing wet kisses up and down her neck as she made little sounds of pleasure. Her hands slid up under my shirt, touching my chest and making goose bumps rise on the back of my arms. _

I woke up and looked at the clock. Three in the morning. I groaned and rolled over, closing my eyes and falling asleep again almost instantly.


	6. Mistake 6

**A/n **Wow you guys. 5 chapters and 91 reviews? That's the best I've ever gotten. Thank you so much!

Anyway, I know present you with…

**Mistake 6**

Did you know that Casey has this weird habit when she's eating her ice cream? She dips her spoon into the bowl twice. The first time is to get ice cream on the spoon. I don't know why she does it a second time. It's weird. It's Casey. When I asked her why she does it, and doesn't just eat it like a freaking normal person, she turned red and left the room. It was kind of funny. But now, every time she eats ice cream, I notice that little quirk.

Another thing I've noticed is that she sings to herself. While she's doing the laundry or the dishes or some other chore that she doesn't have to do, but does because she wants to be nice, she sings under her breath. It's always some girly song. Something by Aly and AJ or Hilary Duff. Once, she was singing Best of Both Worlds. You know what I'm talking about: that annoying theme song to Hannah Montana.

Something else she does is bite her nails. She only ever does it when she's nervous, and it's not like it's an unusual habit, but it's something I've noticed.

Ever since I read that dream book I've been paying a lot more attention to Casey. I find myself watching her at odd times. Usually, it's when she's distracted by something else.

I'm actually kind of embarrassed to admit this, but she's really… _pretty_. Her hair is all clean and looks so soft. And when she laughs, her whole face lights up and the corners of her eyes rise up and make her eyes seem really small.

And now I sound like a stupid love song. The kind that Casey would sing.

What is she doing to me?

(((((O)))))

It was Wednesday night and we were all piling into the van so we could go to Pizza Place. That's actually what it's called: Pizza Place. The owner apparently couldn't come up with something creative, but let's not get off topic.

I took my usual seat in the very back and placed my headphones over my ears. Marti got in her seat next to me with Casey on the other side and Lizzie sitting in front of us with Edwin. The first time we had ever gone out as a family we sat in the car like that and we never changed it. It was one of the times Casey and I could sit in the same general area without wanting to strangle each other.

Suddenly my headphones were snatched off my head. I looked around and saw Casey holding them in her hands.

"Don't you go anywhere without these?"

Alright, so _usually_ we don't want to strangle each other.

"No," I answered, "I don't, now give them back." I reached for them but she held them just out of my reach.

"You're going to blow out your eardrums, not to mention everyone else's around you," she scolded.

"I don't listen to it that loud," I insisted. I reached over Marti to grab them but there wasn't that much room in the car. Marti let out a cry of protest and Casey put her hand on my chest to push me back.

"You're going to squish your sister," she said.

I looked down. Her hand was still pressed against my chest and my stomach did a flip-flop. Gently gripping her wrist, I moved her hand back towards herself.

"Don't touch me."

Casey wrenched her arm out of my grip and glared before throwing my headphones at my face. Instead of retaliating with words, I just turned up my music louder.

(((((O)))))

"Wow, I'm surprised no one's here," Nora remarked as we pulled up at Pizza Place. There were about four other cars in the parking lot.

I rolled my eyes, deciding not to mention that we eat abnormally early than every other family in the world.

We all walked into the familiar restaurant and took our usual table. Casey of course had to take the seat across from me. I instantly stretched my legs out under the table, kicking her. She kicked me back, hard. I held back a wince as my foot throbbed and sat up straight, then kicked her in the shins.

"Derek, cut it out," she said.

"Why, Casey? Does it bother you?" I placed my feet on the legs on her chair and pushed. She slid away from the table and let me know she disapproved. I couldn't stop the smirk on my face which usually happens whenever I get a rise out of her.

I can't help it.

"Can you act like an adult for _one_ night Derek?" She asked.

"I don't know," I answered, "Can you act like a kid for _one_ night?"

"Can both of you behave long enough for the waiter to take our order?"

We both shut up and looked over at Dad. A man with pimples, an apron and a nametag that said Fred was standing near me holding a notepad.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked with a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.

"Dr. Pepper," I said immediately and Casey asked for water with lemon.

Nerd.

The waiter must have been new. He tried to bring all the drinks at once and failed. He reached for Casey's water before putting the tray down and knocked the cup over so it spilled all over Casey's lap. Edwin, Marti and I laughed. Lizzie was holding it back, I could tell. The waiter apologized and Dad was about to yell at the poor guy. Casey must have seen it coming because she quickly stood up.

"I'm fine," she said and smiled at the waiter as I continued to laugh, "Don't worry about it, it was an accident. Shut _up,_ Derek. I'm just gonna go to the bathroom."

I was finally able to calm down, only letting out a small chuckle every once in a while whenever I replayed the moment in my head.

Once the waiter got the drinks distributed he took our order. I listened as Dad said, "Two large pizzas: one with pepperoni, one with everything."

"Wait," I interjected, "Casey likes pineapple on hers, remember? And she doesn't like meat on her pizza."

Everyone turned to stare at me. I'm pretty sure I was disgusted with myself at that moment. Why did I know what kind of pizza she liked and why had I made sure she would get it? I sat back in my seat and took a sip of my soda as Dad fixed the order.

I tried to busy myself with folding a napkin into a football, but it was too flimsy and I could feel Edwin's stare. It was really starting to annoy me so I looked up. Our eyes met and I glared at him, making sure to send the message that if he continued to stare in my general direction I was going to pound on him later.

Needless to say, he looked away as fast as possible.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," I announced to no one in particular. I don't think anyone cared anyway.

I made my way to the small hallway that had the two doors leading to the bathroom. As I turned the corner I saw Casey standing there with the pimply waiter. He was trying to pull off a smirk and Casey looked rather uncomfortable. She took a step to leave when he asked, "So what school do you go to?"

Casey put on her I'd-rather-be-making-out-with-a-mummy-than-be-here face, but apparently Fred couldn't tell.

"Hey Case," I said, walking over and slinging an arm around her, "Whose your friend."

Fred's face instantly fell as he looked back and forth between us. "Oh, are you two dating?" he asked, "When I saw you at the table I assumed you didn't—"

"Oh, no, we do that all the time," I said, the lie pouring from my lips, "My favorite part is making up later. Or maybe I should say making _out_."

I looked over at Casey. Her face was turning red and her mouth was hanging open as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite get the words out.

Fred had turned a rather amusing shade of red as well. He mumbled something and rushed off.

"I can't believe you did that!" Casey practically yelled, pushing me away from her.

I started talking in a high pitched voice, "Thanks for saving from a potential stocker, Derek." I talked in my normal voice again, "Oh, no problem Case. I was just being a good older step-brother."

"You're not that much older than me Derek," she said, "And he was _not_ a potential stocker. He was just asking me—"

"He was creepy, and you know it."

Casey didn't answer. She just pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. She really looked pissed.

At that thought I felt my stomach almost drop out. Was she pissed because of _me_? Those really weren't my intentions at all. I was just trying to help her, as crazy as that sounds. Even when _I_ think it, it sounds unnatural, but I didn't really care. The only thing I was really worried about was the fact that Casey might actually be mad at me. She's been mad before but now she just seemed… **hurt**. And it was because of something that I did, which unsettled me more than I'd want to admit.

"Hey," I said gently, "I was just trying to help. I didn't mean for you to get upset by it." I reached out and touched her elbow gently.

I saw her eyes soften slightly as she looked at me. "Is that your way of saying sorry?"

I nodded. "It's pretty much as close as you're gonna get."

We both stood there in silence for a second or five until I realized that I was still touching her arm. I quickly withdrew my hand and went back to the table, leaving her alone in the hallway.

(((((O)))))

My stomach was full, I was sitting in the car, which seemed much more comfortable than usual, and the moving car was insanely soothing.

But I was afraid to fall asleep.

Marti was leaning next to me, her eyes closed Edwin and Marti with their heads together, talking quietly, and Casey was just sitting there, staring out the window. My head kept drooping and I wanted to close my eyes. I was just afraid that there would be a repeat incident of what happened that night with Kendra.

But I couldn't help it. I leaned my head against the warm window and stared outside at the millions of trees passing by as a giant blur in the darkness.

"_You're a pain in the ass!"_

"_Oh, ouch Case. I've never been called _that_ before."_

"_Well maybe you should take the hint."_

_She tried once again to push me out of the way, but I refused to budge from in front of her door. _

"_Derek, I'm going to be late. I'm supposed to meet Max at 7:00," she tried desperately to push me out of the way again. _

_I looked at the clock on her bedside table. "Too late."_

_She turned around in horror and looked at the clock which read ten past seven. _

_To _my_ horror, she collapsed onto her bed, looking close to tears. I sat down next to her. I almost reached out and touched her, but I wasn't sure if she would smack me or not. _

"_Casey, it's not that big of a deal. You can leave now and be there in ten minutes. You can explain it to him." I took a breath and forced out my next words. "I'm sure he'll understand."_

"_Who do you do that?" she asked. _

_I scooted closer to her, but still didn't touch her. "What, get on your nerves?" _

_Casey nodded. "Yeah, you've been doing it a lot these past few weeks."_

_I studied her face. Her cheeks were slightly red, probably from frustration, and her skin looked so soft. I couldn't help it: I reached out and touched her face, very lightly. She turned to look at me and our eyes met. _

_I found myself leaning closer to her until I could feel the heat off her lips and I whispered, "I like to get a rise out of you."_

_And then she kissed me. _

_She started it out really gentle. It was just how you would expect Casey to kiss someone: Very hesitant and scared. But I kissed her back much harder, pushing her back a little. She put her arms around my neck but refused to lie back on the bed, which annoyed me a bit._

"_Casey," I murmured. It came out sounding husky and deep. It surprised me a bit. I was even more shocked when she giggled like a school girl. _

_She started kissing down my jaw line, making my skin tingle wherever her lips met my skin. My breathing became shallower and I closed my eyes. Casey stopped just below my ear and bit down gently. I jumped, not expecting it and she laughed. _

I woke up when the car halted to stop outside our house.


	7. Mistake 7

**Mistake 7**

_How did this happen?_

I was captain of the hockey team. Girls lined up (twice) to kiss me at the kissing booth. I have a hot girlfriend. My brother respected me, or feared me, depending on how you look at it. I got away with everything and won every bet I ever made. I was very pleased with life.

Apparently, _Life_ wasn't very pleased with _me_.

I somehow ended up having a crush on my stepsister.

My klutzy, grade grubbing stepsister.

I've finally accepted it.

Well… sort of.

I'm going to try and stop it.

I'm not going to sleep for twenty-four hours.

I'll explain my reasoning:

This all started with my dreams. I'm assuming you know this and haven't skipped the first six chapters of this little story of mine. So all I have to do is stop dreaming of Casey. But the question is how?

I've heard that you can't remember your dreams when you have a good night sleep. So all I need to do is sleep really, really well. And to do that, I need to be really, really tired.

Staying awake for an entire day has also been a lifelong dream of mine.

I can kill two birds with one stone.

… … …

That's something Casey would say, isn't it?

(((((O)))))

"What are you doing?"

Edwin froze, his hand still on the Pepsi case which he had just set in the cart.

I hate Pepsi.

"I was just getting some of my own soda. You know, since you're getting all that Dr. Pepper," Edwin explained.

The nerve of him.

"I'm not buying you _Pepsi_," I said, "That stuff is pure crap."

"I'm buying it with my own money," he said.

"Oh."

That morning I had decided to go to the store. Dad made me bring Edwin. I grumbled and complained. I really didn't need him getting all curious about what I was doing. He already questioned it. I told him I was just stocking up. The last day of spring break was coming up and I wanted to stay up late. Which was the truth.

Not that I care about lying or anything. That's something Casey would do.

I turned around to grab a fourth case of my soda. If I was going to stay up all night I was going to need a lot of caffeine. I was also getting several bags of potato chips and those Ritz crackers and spray cheese.

"You are going to get _so_ sick."

Did I forget to mention that Casey came along too?

I turned around to look at her. She was standing next to the Diet Cokes, her left hand resting on her hip, the other one hanging limply at her side. Her face was twisted in a look of disgust as she glanced from me to the cart.

"You can't get sick off of Dr. Pepper," I told her, "It's the Nectar of the Gods."

"I beg to differ," she said.

I laughed. "You can beg all you want, but it won't change the facts."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever Derek. I'm gonna go get the stuff for dinner."

She turned to walk away and I couldn't help my next action.

I tilted my head to the side a bit and stared at her butt.

I make myself sick. I don't need help from the Nectar of the Gods.

(((((O)))))

I could hear Casey making her usual rounds as she went to everybody's room to say good night. She even came to my room. I was a bit tenser than I would have liked to be as I listened to her say good night to Lizzie, Marti, and then yell up the stairs to Edwin, telling him not to stay up too late.

Honestly, you'd think we didn't have parents.

I was next. She always saved me for last. I always assumed it was because she hated me. But as I sat there, playing my computer game which I couldn't seem to concentrate on anymore, the crazy thought floated through my head that maybe she likes to save the best for last.

There was a soft knock on my door.

I didn't answer and she came in anyway.

I couldn't help but look up at her and smirk, completely forgetting about my game.

She opened her mouth but then looked behind me at the six cases of soda stacked up.

"Derek, you're going to kill yourself."

"Thanks, Case," I said, "I didn't know you cared so much."

She rolled her eyes. "I just don't want you dead."

I snorted. "You have made many comments in the past that contradict that last statement."

She got that look on her face. The one that told me she was thinking something sentimental. Something that would make me want to puke because it's so _Family Channel_ or _Disney_.

But she didn't say anything. She just bit her lip and crossed her arms over her chest. I had to force myself to keep my eyes on her face and not stray anywhere else.

"Sorry," she said.

Now I was confused.

"What?"

She took a breath and let her arms fall to her sides. "You're really not that bad, Derek. I'm sorry for—"

"Get out," I interrupted, "Before I throw up all over you."

She laughed and turned around to leave. Right before she closed the door she said, "Sweet dreams Derek."

I looked back at my computer, where **You Lose** was flashing across the screen in red letters.

(((((O)))))

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

"Ouch!"

Down.

I rubbed the spot on my head where I had hit the ceiling. I was apparently getting too big to jump on my bed. So I looked around my room for something else to do.

The clock said it was 1:37. My eyes felt slightly tired, but the sugar rush from all the soda was keeping me up. I felt like jogging or playing hockey or something that required movement.

I had already tried running along the walls, which ended in my knocking the stack of CDs on my desk when I caught myself before I hit the ground. I still hadn't picked up the CDs but cleaned out from under my bed. I found a box filled with notebooks from third grade. Anna Brock and I had passed notes back and forth to each other in my green notebook. The blue math notebook was filled with scribbled more than numbers. The red English book was totally blank. I put that one aside to use for something useful some other time, and the black History notebook was the only thing with actual writing in it. For some reason I had always liked history. It could be interesting if you had the right teacher.

All my computer games had already gotten old and there was no way I could just sit still and listen to my iPod.

Then an epiphany hit me.

Quietly, I slipped out of my room and went to the room next door.

The room was completely dark so I flicked on the light. Casey stirred just a little bit. I grabbed her shoulder and shook her.

"Casey, wake up."

She groaned and rolled over.

"Casey," I repeated, "Get up."

"_What_ Derek?" She said so fiercely I almost jumped back.

"I can't sleep."

"Derek" she said weakly, covering her head with the blanket, "Please go away."

Instead, I grabbed her arm and pulled her out of bed. The blanket and half a pillow fell off with her.

"I hate you," she mumbled, starting to get up.

"No, you don't. You know I'm a _great_ guy."

I hadn't even finished my sentence when Casey grabbed my ankles and pulled my feet out from under me. I fell with a loud thump on the floor.

"Ow, my butt," I moaned.

Casey started to stand up, but her both her legs were twisted in the blanket. I grabbed her knees and pulled so she fell back to the floor too. I flopped down on my back next to her.

"Are you awake?" I asked.

"Barely."

I turned my head to look at her. Her eyes were closed and her lips slightly parted. We were only about five inches apart. If I kissed her it would be so easy. I would just have to lean over and press my lips to hers.

But how would she react?

Well, there's only one way to find out, right?

I started moving closer to her, so slowly it was almost like I wasn't moving at all. But I knew I was. The distance between us was becoming smaller and smaller. My stomach was twisting and it was suddenly way too hot in her room.

"Derek?"

I flinched and moved back about a foot away.

"Y-yeah?"

"Can I go back to bed now?" she asked.

I cleared my throat. "Um…" my voice sounded scratchy, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

I jumped to my feet and ran to my room faster than you can say **close call**.


	8. Mistake 8

**Mistake 8**

Nora was the first one to get up in the morning at 6:00. She sat in the living room and watched the TV with the volume down low, drinking a cup of coffee. I guess it's the only time she can really sit and enjoy the TV to herself since there are always five kids fighting over the remote during the daylight hours.

Next was Marti. She's the only Venture who will get up at 7:00. She went downstairs and sat quietly with Nora, holding the monkey stuffed animal that I got her for her last birthday. Dad went into the living shortly after that.

Guess who's next. That's right, Casey. She woke up around 8:30 and went directly to the shower. She was in there for about half an hour. A very torturous half hour where I tried not to think about too much.

Then Lizzie got up sometime after Casey went downstairs. I think it was around 9:15 or so.

And last was Edwin. I heard his footsteps padding down the stairs around 10:30.

Usually, I would get up sometime after noon, but that day I was going to bed at 12:27, which was the time I woke up the previous morning.

And I was counting down the seconds. I didn't think it was going to be so hard to stay up for twenty four hours, but I was _so_ wrong. I had started getting sleepy shortly after I left Casey's room. I guess almost-humiliation will do that to a person.

I looked at the clock. It was 12:25. Close enough. I was going to sleep. I layed down on my pillows face down and closed my eyes. I was asleep in seconds.

_There was a soft knock at my door. I opened my eyes a little, not wanting to fully wake up yet. The door opened a crack and Casey came in._

"_Hey," she said, "You awake?"_

_I mumbled a little "Hm-mm," But didn't look up at her. I was still too tired to get up._

"_Are you alright?" she asked, "I heard you moving around at nine and now you're sleeping. Are you getting sick? Do you need something to drink?" She kept rambling. I opened my eyes some more and looked at her. She was kneeling next to my bed, really close to me. _

"_Casey," I moaned, "Shut up."_

_She didn't. "Mom just got some apple juice."_

"_Casey, the reason I'm sleeping now is because I've been dreaming a lot lately," I explained, thinking it was the only way to get her to stop talking. I was so tired it felt like I couldn't move my tongue and was slurring my words, but I didn't care, "I heard that you dream when you don't sleep well. So I stayed up late, and now I'm gonna sleep well."_

"_Derek, you've got it mixed up. You dream when you _do_ sleep well. Not when you_ don't_ sleep well."_

You've got to be freaking kidding me.

_The only thing I could think of to shut her up was to kiss her. So I leaned up and pressed my lips to hers. She shut up instantly, not moving at all._

I opened my eyes, expecting to be lying back in bed having woken up from my dream.

But when I opened my eyes I saw Casey.

She was really close.

And I was kissing her.

_Shit._

I pulled away immediately. My stomach had dropped out and we both stared wide-eyed at each other.

"Casey," I whispered, but the second I said it she got up and practically ran out of my room. "Casey!" I called after her. She just slammed my door shut behind her. I hadn't really planned anything to say even if she had come back, but it was a nice thought, right?

And I couldn't run after her. My legs had fallen asleep.

Is it wrong to be jealous of your own legs?

(((((O)))))

**A/n** I know this is a really short chapter, and I'm _sorry!_ But I wanted to get this part of the story out. For those of you who don't get it, what happened to Derek was like a sleepwalking type thing. You know how you can be sleeping and someone starts talking and it happens in your dreams? That's what this was supposed to be. Weird things happen to you and your mind when you're in that half awake, half asleep state. Ha ha. 


	9. Mistake 9

Mistake 9

Mistake 9

At first I tried to convince myself that it was just another crazy dream. Just like all the other ones only more realistic. But no matter how many times I told myself it didn't really happen the knotted feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn't go away. And Casey never stopped avoiding me.

I ran down the stairs, starting for the kitchen but paused when I saw Casey reading a book on the couch. I quietly walked up behind her and leaned down so my mouth was right next to her ear.

"Can I talk to you?" I whispered.

She jumped about twelve feet in the air. _I_ was even surprised at the lack of distance between our faces when she turned to look at me. She scooted over and then stood up. "I was just about to go…" she let her voice trail off as she walked around the couch, taking the long way to avoid walking by me and she ran up the stairs.

That was the fourth time she found some excuse not to talk to me. She was very good at avoiding things. I figured she wasn't ready to talk, so I thought I'd give her some time. I wouldn't push her.

But I was getting sick of it.

So I followed her up the stairs. I had to run and catch her door from closing with my foot. She kept pushing on it as if the door would eventually just go through my shoe.

It didn't.

"Casey just let me in," I said and pushed the door open. She took several steps back and let the door swing open quickly, hitting the wall with a loud thud.

Casey didn't say anything as I walked in and closed the door behind me. She just took a seat at her computer and turned it on, wiggling the mouse several times to make it look like she was doing something as it booted up.

I took a seat on her bed as I tried to think how to start saying what I wanted to say. "I didn't mean to—" I swallowed and forced out the next word, "—kiss you." Casey turned to look at me straight in the eye and it encouraged me to continue. "I thought I was dreaming. I was sleep deprived and didn't think it was actually—"

"So in your dreams it's okay to kiss me?" she asked accusingly.

My eyes widened. "No, that's not what I'm saying. It's not like I've _wanted_ to dream about you. It's just been happening—"

"You've dreamt about me before?"

And the hole just keeps getting deeper. Can someone take this shovel away from me? Please?

"Casey, I can't—"

"I'm practically your _sister_ Derek," Casey snapped. My stomach was twisting in to a thousand knots as she looked away with a disgusted look on her face.

"_Step_-sister," I snapped, "You don't think of me as your brother."

She looked at me again. "You have no idea what I think of you."

I glared at her and stood up. "I just wanted to tell you that kissing you was an accident—" _is that disappointment in her eyes?_ Yeah right, "—and it won't happen again. So you can stop avoiding me." And then I left her room.

She really drives me crazy sometimes. Does she _like_ getting a rise out of me? She always complains about how I'm such an inconsiderate and heartless jerk. Then, when I actually really do try to be nice, she makes it difficult. It's like a test or something to see how hard I'll try.

I'm not gonna try _that_ hard. She can freaking take what she gets.

"Derek!" Dad yelled up the stairs.

"What?" I yelled back, my voice coming out harsher than it probably should have. I leaned over the railing and looked down at him.

"Get rid of that tone while you take out the trash," he answered.

I rolled my eyes, secretly relieved for something to keep me busy.

(((((O)))))

Later that night I sat in my usual chair, staring at the television blankly, without really watching whatever cartoon Marti had put on. I couldn't stop thinking about Casey and it was driving me crazy. But not in the good way, like the way she does in my dreams.

Not that I like having dreams about Casey.

Nope. 

Not at all.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I glanced over at Marti who was completely enthralled in her TV show. I was still pretty tired from the lack of sleep I had gotten the night before so I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I could feel my entire body relax for the first time since that morning. My brain started slowing down and for a moment I actually wasn't thinking about Casey.

But it didn't last long.

"Derek?"

I slowly opened my eyes halfway, not able to fully get them open.

"What do you want?" I groaned. I looked up and saw Casey standing next to me. She was playing with her hands and looking around nervously, as if she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. "Casey?" I said, trying not to sound too annoyed, "What do you want?"

She finally looked at me. "Never mind," she said quickly and ran up the stairs.

I debated running up the stairs after her and forcing her to tell me what she was going to say. But I was too tired. I leaned my head back and went to sleep.

_It was really early. The sun was just coming up and Casey and I were standing on the front porch. I looked around, thinking how nice it was. Everyone else was sleeping and it was just me and Casey. _

_I looked over at her. She had her arms wrapped around herself and she was shivering slightly. "Are you cold?" I asked. Without waiting for an answer I set my hands on her hips. She stepped close to me and I pulled her into a hug. She just rested her head on my shoulder and leaned into me._

"_I'm freezing," she said._

"_Do you want to go inside?" I asked. I didn't want to leave that moment with her, but I also didn't want her to get sick._

"_No," she answered and I smiled a little. She tilted her head back to look at me. As I stared at her I got the familiar urge to feel her lips pressed to mine. So I leaned my head down to kiss her. She brushed her lips against mine just a little bit before leaning back just enough for her to be out of kissing reach. I grinned at her a little bit and she laughed. But I still wanted to kiss her so I leaned in again. She leaned in to kiss me too. But once again she only brushed her lips against mine._

"_Casey," I moaned. I meant for it to come out in more of a warning tone, but it ended up sounding like I was begging. She giggled again before finally letting me kiss her._

I woke up and groaned. That was the cheesiest dream I had ever had. And because I had fallen asleep in my chair my back was sore. I stood up and stretched out.

At that moment Casey came downstairs, her slippers making small padding noises on the wood floor. My eyes scanned her body. She was wearing a loose pair of pajama pants and a tank top. She had put small sweater jacket type thing on over it, but it wasn't doing much.

_I set my hands on her hips. She stepped close to me and I pulled her into a hug._

I shook my head to get the image out. That was definitely not something to be thinking about at that moment.

I forced my attention back to what Casey was doing. She didn't even acknowledge my existence as she walked over to Marti who was now sleeping on the couch. She leaned down to try and pick her up, but I could tell it was not going to end well. Marti was going to wake up. And if she didn't wake up while Casey was trying to pick her up she definitely would when Casey dropped her on the stairs.

"Let me do it," I said, walking over to take Casey's place in front of Marti.

"I can do it, Derek," she told me, but stepped out of the way anyway. I lifted Marti easily and held her so her head was resting on my shoulder. She made a small moaning noise. I patted her back a few times, though, and she quieted down.

"Thank you," Casey whispered as I started up the stairs.

After getting Marti in her room and going to the bathroom I decided it was time to get some much needed sleep.

But when I got to my room Casey was sitting on my bed.

I froze for a few seconds and then closed the door. When I turned to face her she was standing up.

"I decided we should probably talk about this," she said. She had obviously rehearsed what she was going to say. "It's not just going to go away. So I came up with a solution. It's not the best solution I've ever come up with but this is probably the biggest pickle I've ever been in."

"Did you just say _pickle_?" I asked.

She ignored me. "We should just pretend this never happened. If we try to do anything else we could start a _lot_ of family drama. And I don't think we need that right now."

"You just want to forget about it?"

Casey froze for a second. Just one single second before nodding. "It's the best thing to do."

I clenched my jaw and looked around my room for a moment, pretending to be looking at something significant. _Forgetting_ about it was actually the last thing I wanted to do.

Actually, no. It was the second to last thing. The last thing I wanted to do was to admit it to someone.

I looked back at Casey, locking eyes with her. "Yeah," I agreed. My voice came out harsher and colder than I had expected it to. "That's the best thing to do. Consider it forgotten."

My throat tightened up for a moment. But only a moment.


	10. Mistake 10

Mistake 10

Mistake 10

I couldn't sleep that night. After Casey left my room I felt wide awake. There was only one thing I could think about.

I didn't want to forget about kissing Casey.

I knew I didn't really have to. I could replay in my head as many times as I wanted. Which was probably something I would end up doing. But I didn't just want to replay it in my head. I had the chance to really kiss her and I was half asleep at the time. _She_ wasn't. She was wide awake.

Which is completely not fair.

I rolled onto my side and tried to force myself to think about something else.

Like Ramen noodles. That was one of my favorite foods when I was younger. But then there was one summer when I had it everyday for lunch. Now I can't stand it, which is a shame because it's extremely cheap and a great food for college students. Or at least that's what I've heard. Although Casey probably doesn't think I will make it to college anyway.

And then I was thinking about kissing Casey.

My eyes snapped open and I stared off into space.

This girl was seriously affecting my sleeping patterns.

(((((O)))))

I'm a genius. I really am. There are certain people (like teachers, my dad, my siblings, etc.) who will make several points that will seem to contradict my last statement. But if you knew what I had come up with, you would most definitely agree with me.

Now you're probably wondering what I'm talking about.

I'm not going to tell you. You will just have to wait and see.

(((((O)))))

"Casey, can we talk?" I asked. I put my hands in my back pockets and rocked back and forth slightly on my feet.

Casey looked up at me from where she was writing at her desk. "Is everything ok, Derek?" she asked.

"Can we talk?" I repeated. She nodded and gestured for me to sit at her bed. I walked in and closed her door behind me, then took a seat at the foot of her bed.

"What's going on?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I know we said we were going to forget about it—"

"Derek, no," Casey interrupted, "We are _not_ talking about this."

"Casey, _please_," I said, trying to look and sound as desperate as possible.

She sighed. "Alright, what is it?"

"Well," I said, "I need to ask you something. But it can _never_ leave this room, ok?"

"You don't have to worry about that."

I nodded. "Right, of course," I paused for dramatic effect and then went on, "So, we… kissed." Casey looked away, turning red. "And I need an honest opinion on this. Am I… I mean… was the kiss… ok?"

Casey's eyes snapped to mine. "_What?_"

I didn't say anything at first. I just looked the blanket on her bed and played with a loose string. "Well, I'm not exactly sure. I know girls make out with me a lot. And I mean _a lot_—"

"What's your point, Derek?"

"Well… I've never been sure if they were making out with me—" she cringed, "Because I'm a good kisser or if it's just because I'm so popular."

Casey stared at me in disbelief. "You _can't_ be serious."

"I just need your honest opinion, Case."

I made myself look as needy and innocent as possible. And it was working. I could see Casey start to melt. She was starting to feel bad for me. I could see it by the way she was looking at me.

"I—I can't really answer that, Derek," she said, "We didn't really kiss for very long and you were half asleep and I was _really_ surprised and it all happened so fast and—"

"Ok Casey," I stopped and looked down at my shoes.

(((((O)))))

That is definitely not how it happened.

Let's rewind, shall we? We're going to go back to the part where I said:

"Well… I've never been sure if they were making out with me—" she cringed, "Because I'm a good kisser or if it's just because I'm so popular."

Casey stared at me in disbelief. "You _can't_ be serious."

"I just need your honest opinion—"

"Cut the act Derek," she interrupted, her voice suddenly harsh, "I'm not falling for it this time. I've learned what you look like when you're _acting_ and trying to get me to feel sorry for you. You act like you have a heart."

I rolled my eyes and sighed in disbelief, a lie quickly forming in my head.

"Why would I lie about this, Casey?" I asked.

"Maybe you want me to admit something that you can use to humiliate me," she said. Which _did_ actually sound like something I would do. But I couldn't let her know that.

I scoffed. "You can humiliate _yourself_. You don't need any help from me."

"But that never seems to stop you."

She was just full of good points that night.

"Casey—"

"Get out."

She glared at me with such fierceness I was actually surprised. And I actually listened. I left her room, slamming her door behind me and then slamming my door a second later when I went to my room.

_You act like you have a heart._

Her words repeated themselves in my head, over and over.

_You act like you have a heart._

But I _do_ have a heart. I act like I don't sometimes. But that's just because it's easier. When you have a heart you end up caring about people and doing things for them that you really don't want to do.

_You act like you have a heart._

Well it's obvious that I have a heart. If I didn't then those seven words wouldn't be bothering me so much.

And I wouldn't care for Casey the way I do.

(((((O)))))

_We were sitting on the couch, my arm around her, and we had just finished watching Singin' in the Rain. _

"_I hated that movie."_

"_You're just saying that because it's a musical," Casey said, "You just need to give it a fair chance."_

"_You owe me so big for making me watch that entire thing."_

_Casey looked up at my with a little smirk on her face. She leaned closer to me. But she didn't kiss my lips, like I expected. She kissed my neck and I involuntarily gasped. She trailed kisses up to my ear. For a second she nibbled on my ear and I moaned. Then she moved on, kissing me _behind_ my ear. My vision went blurry for a second. I was surprised by the shivers she sent through my body, making it difficult to breathe._

_I rested my hand on her knee. She jumped and giggled._

"_That tickles," she whispered._

"_You're a very ticklish girl," I told her, pleased that my vocal cords were still working properly. _

"_And you're a sucker for kisses."_

_I grinned at her. "Just _your_ kisses."_

And then I woke up. I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep. It didn't help anyway. It seemed like the more I slept the more tired I got.

I was all Casey's fault.


	11. Mistake 11

**A/n** Sorry about the wait, people. I've had some major writers block with this chapter. There have been about five different ways this chapter was going to go. And then I thought of this, and it seemed to make the most sense. Everything else was just stupid and randomly put into the story. But I hope this is worth the wait.

This story is dedicated to seddierocks, who sent me messages and stuff, trying to get me to update. Sorry about the wait. 

**Mistake 11**

School again. Lunch had just ended and I didn't feel like going to back to class.

"Sam," I grabbed him as he started walking out of the cafeteria. "Ditch with me."

He stared at me for a couple seconds and then nodded. "Ok. Where to this time?"

"Let's go hide out in the gym."

We casually made out way through the building and the huge throng of students. The gym was in the back of school, on the other side of the courtyard. We snuck in through the back door, which led behind the bleachers. It was the perfect place to hide because nobody could see you unless they were looking. Or if you were stupid enough not to stay at the back, but to stand right next to the seats.

We barely sat down against the wall when Mrs. Pope's PE class came in. The first person I saw was Casey. She was wearing a pair of gym shorts and an old t-shirt. She did not look happy to be in that class.

"Why is Casey here?" I asked.

Sam looked up and saw her. "Oh, she said something about needing a PE credit to graduate. It was either this or swimming."

I looked at him. "She told you that?" I was suddenly jealous, thinking about Casey talking to Sam.

"Yeah. At the beginning of the semester, when she started the class."

"Huh." I looked back at where Casey was standing.

"Alright, class, let's stretch," I heard Mrs. Pope say. They all started stretching at the same time.

Sam chuckled. "Nice," he said.

I usually would have agreed with him. I'm a teenage boy, so I usually wouldn't be complaining about watching a group of girls stretch. But this wasn't helping my whole I-like-Casey issue.

But of course I couldn't help myself.

I will admit that I was checking out my sister.

I just won't admit it to anyone I actually know.

As I watched Casey stretch her legs, I suddenly started feeling very guilty. I could imagine Casey's disgusted face if she ever found out that there were a couple guys underneath the bleachers, checking out girls while they stretched.

"Maybe we should go," I suggested.

Sam looked at me. "Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "This just seems kind of perverted, you know? Hiding behind the bleachers and checking out girls while they stretch."

Sam looked at me like I had just said I was gay.

"Don't get me wrong," I chuckled, only a little nervously, "I _love_ to check out girls, just not while we can't be seen. You know?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I guess that does seem kind of weird."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. I was glad he didn't look too far into it. Casey was having more of an effect on me than I would have liked.

"So, should we find another spot to hang out?" he suggested.

I nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

I led the way out from behind the bleachers. We were able to easily get to the back door without being seen, but we weren't expecting Mr. Wilson, the other PE teacher, to be standing outside the back door, talking to the vice principal. We both froze as they turned to look at us. I had the fleeting thought that we could run away. Sam and I could easily outrun both of them. But then I remembered that I would see them later anyway. Might as well get in as little trouble as possible.

Not that I care or anything…

((((O))))

"How many times do you ditch in a week, Derek?" Nora asked. I was sitting on the couch and she and dad were standing in front of me. They were both furious.

"Only about three or four times."

Dad suddenly looked like his head was going to fly off and hit the ceiling.

"I'm kidding!" I said, holding out my hands to calm them, "This is the first time." That's a lie, just so you know.

"We're going to have to punish you, you know that right?" Nora said calmly.

I was disappointed, even though I should have been expecting it. "Come on," I said, "I already got detention."

"You're grounded," Dad practically yelled at me. I jumped from the sudden outburst. "For two weeks."

I gaped at him. "Two weeks? I only got detention for one."

"Well maybe this will teach you not to skip classes when you're already failing," Nora told me.

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Whatever. I'm going to my room."

I took the stairs two at time. When I got to the top and turned to head to my room, Casey walked out of hers. I froze as she started walking towards me.

"Hi," I said, like an idiot.

Casey stopped walking for a second and then looked at me like I was crazy. "Hi?" she said, more of a question than a friendly greeting. She continued walking, passing me and accidentally bumping my side as she did.

"Sorry," she said quickly. After she went downstairs I finally moved again.

(((((O)))))

_I knew she was just doing it to torment me. To make me crazy. She knew I could barely stand it when she twirled her hair. And there she was, sitting across the table from me, gently twirling a strand of hair around her finger. And I couldn't grab her and kiss her to make her stop, like I usually could. This time we were sitting with family and I had to pretend like I wasn't attracted to her at all._

_She looked at me and smirked a little. _

Stop_ I mouthed to her. _Please.

_Her smirk grew and she bit her lip. _

_I tried just to look away, but my eyes kept finding their way back to her._

_When dinner was finally over and Casey went to her room, I followed. I followed her into her room and slammed the door closed behind me. I grabbed her and pushed her against the wall._

"_What do you think you're doing, driving me crazy like that?" I whispered against her lips. She giggled and I kissed her, hard._

_After a few seconds, she pushed on my chest to make me stop kissing her. "I love making you want to kiss me."_

"_You don't have to try to do that," I told her, and kissed her again. I could feel her smiling against my lips._

When I woke up I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. My mouth had been hanging open while I was sleeping, so I was ridiculously thirsty. I looked at the clock on my way out of my room. It was 2:30 in the morning.

Casey was in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of milk.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

She jumped and looked up at me suddenly. "I'm thirsty."

I walked around the island and reached for the milk carton. Before I could touch it, Casey snatched it up. "Get a glass," she demanded.

"No," I said and moved to take it out of her hands. She held it behind her back. I had not problem leaning close to her to try and get it. "Give me the milk."

We were standing about four inches away from each other. "No," Casey said, in what sounded to me, like a breathless voice.

I lowered my voice so it was deeper and quieter. "Give it to me, Casey."

And then her lips were pressed against mine.

My mind started spinning suddenly and I expected her to pull away as quickly as possible and slap me.

But I didn't remember leaning in to kiss her. I didn't remember moving at all.

_She _had kissed _me_.

And the thing that was on my mind?

Why hadn't the world imploded?


End file.
